


Future, Present, Past

by DontMindMeDear (JustANerd)



Series: Tenses&Senses [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Blind!Kenma, Dealing With Loss, Family Problems, Future Tense Kenma, Hinata is his servant, Introduction of the Tenses, Kageyama is a member of royalty, Kenma and Yachi are Cousins, M/M, Magic AU, Noya died, Royalty AU, Sadness, actual cats and crows, attempt at being poetic, lots of foreshadowing, maybe some pinning ???, soft angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-21
Updated: 2016-06-21
Packaged: 2018-07-16 10:46:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7264909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustANerd/pseuds/DontMindMeDear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Tenses. Immortal Magical Beings with the same Face and Emotions as Humans. Owners of the same Magical Properties as Royalty.</p><p>And yet they are completely different. </p><p>Bestowed with Abilities surpassing even the Limits of Nature and Burdened with Sacrifices decided long before their birth.<br/>Blindness despite unobscured Sight.<br/>Deafness despite omniscient Hearing.<br/>Muteness despite silvered Speech.</p><p>These are the Tenses.<br/>And this is the Start of their Story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Future, Present, Past

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so so sorry it took me almost 3 weeks longer than promised! Writer's Block was a Bitch and apparently I'm unable to write proper KageHina bantering...  
> (the whole first Chapter of Run happened because of that) 
> 
>  
> 
> I'm thanking AllMyCharactersAreDead (check out her stories she's amazing), Crow-Chan and Disney Music that I actually managed to get finished now and not in another month or so.
> 
>  
> 
> I'm sorry if this is a bit boring, but I really wanted to describe the overall setting and the reason for the story's title before getting to the 'good' part! I tried to make up for it by changing my style a bit.
> 
> Hope you Enjoy it!!!

It was the night of a new moon and the moonless night covered the world in darkness. Only the soft light of the stars illuminated the mountain and its ever expanding forest, barely reaching the small hut in-between, hidden away from the rest of the world by the forest’s shadows. The soothing sounds of swaying trees and rustling leaves entered the small hut, underlining the inside’s soft breathing. Only the occasional cries of night’s predators disturbed its calmth.

Cool starlight entered the bedroom through its curtain’s gaps and highlighted the outline of a single person, lying motionless on the bed, throwing everything around it into deep darkness. The person’s smooth skin glowed pearl white in the illumination. Tender tears of sweat trailed down their forehead, sparkling softly like little diamonds. 

Strong ancient Magic danced in the air, sending prickling sensations over skin, causing the person’s hair to stand up and sway softly with the current. The thick cloud of tingling magic surrounded them like a protective shield, isolating them from the threatening, swirling darkness, as they threw their head to the side. A useless attempt at escaping whatever pestered their sleep.

 

He was floating. Not amidst the all-consuming darkness like he usually did during his blind, visionless, dreams. Soft light entered his peripheral despite his eyes being closed. He tried to push it away, tried to withstand the images his mind forced upon him with the light.  
But his attempts ended in vain.

The light slowly but surely creeped closer and filled his vision with swaying shadows and dancing light. He tried to turn away from the light, tried to escape his own inevitable fate despite knowing it better. Shadows and light entwined, circled around each other and spread across his vision to create constantly shifting sceneries. Cheap Imitations of an unknown reality. Imitations based on knowledge conveyed by others. What seemed to be a castle covered by clouds in one moment, turned into a forest wreathed in mist in the next, a foggy lake in another, then some misty cliffs followed by a river in the woods, a small town bathed in light, then some ruins… The shifting stopped at what seemed to be the image of a certain city, concentrating on it as several different buildings were brought into focus. Eventually it changed once more, creating what seemed to be the entrance of a cave, before it crumbled and a blinding, unavoidable light filled his vision.

Shadows emerged from the light’s centre, dispersed the light and covered it with a grey haze. Black clouds collected to create wobbling figures with similar proportions to humans. A horde of human imitations ran across his vision, chasing something outside of his sight. Soft noise reached his ears, but he failed to understand more than faint vibrations. He turned his sight away from it, away from what was just another mob chasing once more someone innocent, away from the vibrations which were nothing but fearful screams of pain, away from the burning desire to help them.

The shadows spread again, covered the light and created a big mass of wobbling darkness that turned his vision black. For a moment he dared to hope this was the end of his dream. Light shattered his hope as it broke through the clouds of shadows, creating more imitations of humans. Faces and gender were unrecognizable. Nothing more but a mess of wobbling bubbles.

One was tall, another small. Both were lean with magic swirling around them. Before he could decipher whether the clouds over the smaller ones head were hair or flames, the imitations deflated and returned to being mere clouds.

New imitations were created. Someone tall with broad shoulders, surrounded by a bunch of smaller people. The smell of Death stuck to them like a second skin, sending cold shivers down his spine. He was almost relieved when the imitations collapsed again to form a new illusion.

This time they didn’t create an imitation.

They created a replica.

The person was tall and lean with short hair and their facial characteristics were elegant, yet cute. He knew that person. He had seen them in his dreams many times now. That person was the only one who kept reappearing despite the several death warnings his dreams had sent him over the years. Whatever happened to them, they always survived. Yet they could never escape Death’s threat for long.

A voice he didn’t recognize broke through the silence of his dream, whispering to him ineligible nonsense. He tried to escape again, but the voice just got louder and the image cleared up enough that he could recognize a stubborn look in the replica’s eyes. The nonsensical whisper turned more comprehensible the louder it got and finally he could understand.

It was a name.

The name was whispered over and over again. Sometimes too fast to follow. Sometimes too slow to understand more than vocals and vibrations. Sometimes the voice’s words overlapped, creating something akin to an echo. But in whichever way the name was said, the underlying message was the same:  
It was a plea. A request to help that person.

One heartbeat. That was the time he allowed himself to hesitate. Then he tried once more to push the vision out of his mind. He tried to ignore the voice, tried to turn away from the replica’s now literally burning eyes, but the more he tried the louder became the voice and the stronger got the light, highlighting the person’s features and burning them into his mind.

The light spread across his sight, tinted it in a bright white that relentlessly continued to brighten to the point that it hurt. He tried to turn away again and again, but the light just seemed to follow, getting more painful with each new nuance of white, as the voice got even louder, slowly changing its content.  
The chanting of the name stopped. Instead other words echoed painfully loud in his mind.  
“Save him”’s and “Help them”’s circled around each other, entwined and became inextricable. A countless number of “Please” chirped in the background, occasionally drowning everything else as “Change their fate” chimed in with “Wake up”. “Please Save Them Please Help Him Save Please Change Them Please Fate Him Help Please Them Save Wake up Please Save Wake Him Help Please Them Save Help Wake Please Fate Save Them Please Wake up Please Wake up Kenma!”

 

“Please Wake up, Kenma!” This wasn't part of the vision. This wasn’t a dream. 

Kenma bolted upright and instantly reached for his magic. Someone had actually been saying his name for real. Someone with a voice full of worry and fear. Someone who suddenly let go of a very high-pitched shriek as Kenma had sat up with shadows swirling around him ready to attack or defend. He grimaced painfully and pressed his hands over his ringing ears. He carefully let go of the collected magic and threw it into its cage that was the depths of his mind.

“Hitoka, Please, calm down. I’m already blind. I don't need to be deaf as well.” His voice was neutral and void of all emotion. Just like he preferred it. He couldn’t see people’s faces with his blind eyes, couldn’t see their reactions to his words. He never knew how somebody would take his words, couldn’t see their first immediate reactions. That’s why he was always very careful with his words and tried not to insult the other person by accidently causing misunderstandings or arguments. Emotions were a big cause for those. So in order to avoid unnecessary conflicts, he kept his own emotions hidden.

“I-I’m S-So-Sorry! I-I di-didn’t i-in-inte-tend t-to, I d-didn’t m-m-mean to-! I’m S-Sorry!” Kenma sighed tiredly. He took his hands from his ears and placed them in his lap, where they were met with the comforting softness of his blanket. He tended to forget that the girl was different from others. There was no need for him to be able to see her when her voice was a direct link to her heart. Even her body’s trembling could be heard in her voice. He just wished she wasn't so … jumpy. It was far too easy to frighten her. Unlike Kuroo, he didn't like to scare others.

Kenma decided it was about time to interrupt her stuttering and made sure to keep his voice levelled. “It’s fine. What is it? Why did you wake me up?” He tilted his head towards her to indicate that he was listening.

“W-well … y-you were thrashing a-and mumbling in your sleep, s-so I thought you had a ni-nightmare and...” With each word her still trembling voice became fainter until she eventually stopped completely.

“Is that so.” He kept himself short, kept his voice calm. He was annoyed. Very annoyed. It was a leftover from his vision, a result from being thrown around by his own magic, unable to control it. Kenma was well aware of it. But he was also aware that this was only one part of it. Another part was that Hitoka carelessly threw him out of a vision created by strong ancient magic, putting herself in danger. Again. Despite him having told her numerous times already to leave him alone, to not get involved when she sees him like that.

Yet he also felt relieved that she did it. Relieved that she enabled him to escape his own magic’s claws that forced him towards paths he refused to follow. He was also thankful that she risked her own safety to help him, despite having no reason to do so.

His conflicting feelings stirred frustration over his own soft heart in him, but he hid it from her. Hitoka was only human. She didn't realize what she had done or what could have had happened to her when magic as strong as his was suddenly thrown out of control or directed at her in an instinctive attempt to protect himself. He knew she didn't mean any harm. But ignorance did not always mean bliss.

“Now that I'm already awake, I can just as well get up.” The bed creaked as he pushed the blanket away and moved to the bed’s edge to place his feet on the wooden ground, ready to get up and walk to his closet, as he felt her fidgeting presence close by. Unsure of what to do she half-hovered over his still sitting self, ready to help with whatever need he had, while also being half turned away from him, prepared to move out of the way anytime if necessary. He sighed. “Can you bring me my clothes?” Being able to do something helped to calm her down and right now that was far more important to Kenma than his own independence. There was nothing more irritating for him than a guilty-feeling Hitoka at the edge of a nervous breakdown.

“S-sure!” Her happy chirp could have made him smile if he hadn’t been so frustrated and tired. Being forced to watch confusing visions during his sleep didn't do much for his rest. Her fleeting footsteps tapped lightly over the floor’s wood and he suppressed another tired sigh when he heard her rummaging through his drawers. He never really cared for what he was wearing. He couldn’t see it anyway and he didn’t meet other people very often either. He couldn't compare his own clothes with those worn by others. So he liked to wear whatever he felt comfortable in, instead of ‘being stylish’ as Hitoka used to say whenever she returned from a longer trip to the nearest city.

“Here! Wear this shirt and these pants. The red check suits your hair AND the pants look good to it while being comfy at the same time!” There was unmistakable pride in her voice. Kenma warily took both in his hands and forced himself not to cringe. She might have been right when it came to the pants, but the shirt felt like one of those she bought in the city. That stuff was never comfy.

Family Member or not. Kenma liked his peace and comfort more than anything else. If it meant more silence and calm for him, if it meant he was allowed to wear what _he_ wanted to, then he would throw her out without a second thought. Regretfully, Kuroo has forbidden him from doing exactly that. ‘Someone needs to be there to look after you while I’m gone. Can’t have you stay at home all alone after all. Human contact is good for you! Also, What if you hurt yourself?!’ It was not the first time Kenma wanted to punch him for that.

Kenma made a mental note to change his clothes as soon as she was gone and allowed her to help him getting dressed, as well as leading him to the living room where he sat down in his very comfy armchair with the two fluffy pillows by the window. The fresh, vibrant magic of the morning sun’s light swept over him and he shut his eyes, face turned towards the window. He bathed in the warmth of the early sunrise as he listened to Hitoka rustling around in the attached small kitchen to prepare his breakfast. He took a deep breath filled with tingling light magic and released it in a long shallow sigh before he relaxed into the cushions, allowing the warm domestic atmosphere to wash over him.

 

A short nap and a breakfast later he listened to Hitoka washing their dishes and wondered what to do with this day that had begun far too early for his liking. He didn’t really have any interests aside from watching the world or his magic, but after last night he preferred not to use the latter. That reminded him though. The person in his vision. Their features had been the only clear thing in it. Everything else was either really wobbly or had changed too fast to give him a clear impression. It was almost as if the vision’s sole purpose had been to show him the importance of this one individual.

Kenma didn't want to admit it, but it scared him deeply. Being unable to control his own powers and being forcefully confronted with the only one who persistently kept reappearing in his dreams over the span of years… Maybe it was about time.

He concentrated on the warm, buzzing magic inside him and found what he sought without having to search for it. Kenma reached for the thin, yet strong, invisible string that connected his own to Kuroo’s magic. It was a bond created by a spell that was older than Kenma’s own magic. A bond that couldn’t be broken unless death itself decided to separate them.

He tugged at it once, eliciting an only for him and Kuroo sensible chime, and the thread’s vibrations made his own magic sing. A small fond smile grew on his lips as another bell-like ring chimed in, making his heart swell in warm affection. Kuroo had received and returned the tugging, signifying Kenma that he was on his way.

Tenses were a strange thing. Kenma had believed so ever since he was told why he was different from others. Not just from children his age, but humans in general. And not just ordinary humans without relations to him. Mages and Royals, even his own family, his own mother, were different from him. There were only two others in this world that were _similar_ to him. Similar. Yet not the same. In this world, Kenma was all alone.

Knowing this, Kenma never felt comfortable with himself or his powers. Could never be truly himself when there were too many people that were _different_ from him. He liked the calm of the mountain, being surrounded only by those he trusted. Currently, Hitoka was the only ordinary human that knew what and where he was. She was some kind of Cousin his brother had sent a few years ago to take care of him. An excuse to fulfil his obligations as the new Family Head without actually having to see Kenma himself.

Kenma was completely fine with this. His connection to his family had never been very strong. Maybe it was Kuroo’s fault for suddenly appearing on the day of his birth in front of his parents, declaring that Kenma was the Tense of Future, Kozume. A term and name his parents, both ordinary humans, had never even heard of once.

He didn't remember anything of back then, but apparently his parents had refused to believe Kuroo or to allow him near Kenma. At least at the beginning. But the older Kenma got, the stronger got his magic and the more obvious his blindness. When they couldn’t avoid the truth anymore, they gave him in Kuroo’s care. And Kuroo created the bond they shared now.

Their magical connection was almost as old as he was. It was a steady, omnipresent connection to his most vulnerable parts. At times like these, where he didn't understand what was going on, where he couldn't control his own powers, or where it seemed as if his sole existence was too much for him to bear, he always knew he could count on Kuroo and their bond. By now it felt even more familiar to him than his own magic. It was a comforting, grounding weight that gave him a halt in an apparently too fast-paced time.

“Kenma.” He jumped as Hitoka’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts, hit his knee on the table next to his armchair and let go of a little, pained shriek. Both of them stilled and for a moment there was only a stunned silence between them. Then Hitoka exploded with laughter, failing horribly in trying to cover it as a cough. Kenma glared at her, but either she didn't notice or she was too caught up with laughing to care.

Kenma felt his cheeks heating up and turned away from the hiccuping, gasping and yet somehow still laughing girl. He truly wanted to throw something down now. Preferable something that belonged to her. Something important. As far as he could tell though, there was nothing throwable in his near proximity. Too bad.

Instead he concentrated on the small blurry spots of light in front of him, morning light that entered from the window and collided right with his eyes, and ignored her. Or at least he tried to look as if he was ignoring her. It was hard to actually do so when she was the sole origin of all sounds within the room. It took all of his self control not to growl at her and walk out of the room like a dissatisfied, spoiled brat. He really wanted to throw something down though.

Finally her laughter started to calm down, leaving her gasping for air. “I-I’m sorry, Kenma!” Kenma did not respond. If she truly had been sorry, then she would have stopped earlier. Or even better, if she hadn’t started laughing at all, then there wouldn’t be anything for her to feel sorry for in the first place. Her last laughter died off and she took a deep breath. “I truly am Sorry. Kenma, forgive me, Please?” Despite her apologetic words, there was a smile in her voice. Kenma sighed tiredly. He wanted to stay stubborn until she apologised without a smile and in absolute seriousness.

But he knew she wouldn't give up until he accepted it.

He also knew that she actually meant what she said. Hitoka wasn't a liar. It wasn't that she didn't try to do it, but rather that she was unable to lie properly. She was too good-natured, feeling bad before the words had even left her mouth. He turned his head back to her and Hitoka stopped apologising.

“Thank You!” Golden shining light seemed to radiate from her smile. Not that Kenma could actually see it. But he was pretty confident that, if he could see, then her smile would shine as bright and as warm as the morning sun. Or even brighter.

When she resumed talking, she changed the topic. “I need to go into the town to buy some things. I will be gone for a few hours, but I have prepared some snacks and meals which you can eat without having to cook or warm them up first. They are at the usual place. I probably won’t be back until afternoon, so please don't eat everything at once.” 

“Okay.” A small silence encaptured them. Kenma assumed she was observing him and shortly wondered what it was she saw. After a while she hummed in apparent satisfaction with the results of her observation. She turned around and walked towards the entrance to slip into her shoes.

“Good! Greet Kuroo if you see him, Okay? See you later!” Her words were almost completely swallowed by the rustling of the forest that entered the small hut as she opened the door.

Kenma barely managed a weak “Bye”, before the door fell into its lock and Hitoka was gone.

Kenma didn't move for a long time. His blind eyes were staring off into space as he concentrated on the sounds from the outside world that got through the gaps in the window frame.

It was a nice day. The sun was bright and warm, the wind just strong enough to allow Kenma to listen to the music of wind playing with leaves and branches. The twittering of various birds was deeply woven into the melody, as well the occasional cry of day’s predators. Whenever he sat like this, alone, listening to the forest’s orchestra of life, he didn't feel lonely. There was no need to. After all, how could he feel lonely, when there was so much life around him? Days like these, days where it felt like it was only him and the rest of world’s nature, he wished they could last forever.

A small smile garnished his lips as he listened to two birds fighting each other in a match of songs for the right to court their heart’s lady. It dropped as a cat’s cry emerged in-between the birdsongs. Instantly all singing stopped and was replaced by the heart-wrenching sound of hastily flapping wings. 

The outer window sill rattled, followed by the soft, pathetic mewing of a cat. The same cat that had just disturbed his peace. He sighed deeply as the faint feel of magic reached him from the cat’s shadow.

The cat mewled again, scratching at the window’s glass, but Kenma stayed strong. He would NOT get up and open the window. This was just another of _his_ jokes. If he fell for it now, then it would just happen again.

He turned away from the window, towards the darkness of the small hut, and decided to ignore the cat. The cat mewled, but Kenma stayed strong and managed to ignore it without moving so much as a single muscle.  
Another mewl. Lower and more _begging_ now. His finger twitched. No. He would _not_ give in.  
Then the cat _cried_. It was a shaky, broken, heart-felt cry that sent a chill down Kenma’s spine. He turned his head the slightest bit, allowed light to gather in his peripheral and used the smallest amount of magic to improve his sight.  
It cried again and Kenma felt the urge to punch Kuroo in his face.

He glared at the black spot surrounded by light that was supposed to be the ‘cat’ and honestly considered ignoring it once more. He would just have to turn back a bit, only a little bit. Then he could get up and leave the room, re-acquiring his peace.

The cat mewled once more. A very pathetically, weak, shaky, cute plea. Suddenly Kenma found himself standing right in front of the window, hurriedly opening it. He had just stretched his hand out towards the cat, ready to pet pitiful thing and take it in his arms, as a big shadowy figure flashed past him from the cat’s shadow. The cat shrieked in shocked fear and ran off. Kenma stood frozen in place, his hand still held up to pet the cat, as ugly laughter reached his ears from somewhere behind him.

He threw a glare over his shoulder at a certain dark spot behind him, familiar shadow magic still swirling around the dark figure, and closed the window. By the time he sat back down, his face had lost its glare and wore once more his usual bored expression. It took all of his self-control not to smile at the older one’s dying laughter. Kuroo really had the ugliest laugh he had ever heard. “Stop doing that. You know I can feel you. This is a waste of energy. Why can’t you just enter through the front door?” He could almost feel the smug look on Kuroo’s face.

“At least one of us has to keep up his training. It would be a pity if something were to happen and both of us are rendered helpless because we were too lazy.” Guilt tugged at Kenma’s heart. He pushed it away without any hesitation. He would not give in to Kuroo’s games.

“Playing around with Bokuto or bullying Daichi is not Training.” 

“Whatever. At least I’m actually using my powers and develop new ways to use them.”

Kenma wanted to give him a sharp response, but the word’s truth prevented him from finding his voice. If he had trained more, then maybe he would have had better control over his last vision. Or at least some control at all. So instead of responding to Kuroo, he turned once more towards the daylight and closed his eyes.

He exhaled exhausted as he felt the magic prickle behind his eyes. He had no intention of using it. Without its use he barely could see more than shadows and blurry shades. As good as no color ever entered his view. Even with his magic, all it did was giving him shades of grey or yellowish white at most. Ever since his birth, ever since his eyes fell on the light of this world for the first time ... for him there didn’t exist anything else beside the Light and its Shadows.

But that was okay with him. He wasn’t scared of the shadows. How could he, when he was the one who reigned over them? He knew that the things lurking in the Shadows were by times not as dangerous as those in the light. For Kenma, the light was way more scary.

“So? What did you call me for? Does it have something to do with my next visit to our dear old ‘Tense of Past’?” Kenma neither opened his eyes nor did he move any other muscle. No indication whether he had even heard him. Yet Kuroo didn't repeat himself, didn't force his attention towards himself. That’s what Kenma liked about him. Kuroo knew when to give him space, allowing him to decide by himself when he was ready to speak.

Kenma had thought about it for a long time. It hadn’t started only last night, but that last vision gave him the final incentive he had needed. He had been wondering how he could explain it to Kuroo without concentrating on the fine details or to involve him too strongly with the Future. Tense Guardian or not, Kuroo was still human. Or at least more human than Kenma was. It was dangerous for him to get too involved with the Flow of Time. “I want you to search someone for me.”

“Oho~? Another victim of Time? I thought you stopped trying to save them from their fate?” Kenma could hear the smug tone in his voice, but decided to ignore it. He just stared at Kuroo with blind eyes and blank expression.

“I did. And I still am.” There was no hesitation, no sign of uncertainty in neither his voice nor posture. Kuroo hesitated.

“...Then what is it? What makes this one so special?” The smug tone was gone, seriousness and honest confusion left behind.

Kenma thought about it for a while. He didn’t like ‘ordering’ Kuroo, but telling him details without knowing whether he would fulfil Kenma’s request was too dangerous. Not just for Kuroo himself. “They had disappeared.”

“...What? ‘They’?”

“Years ago, when they were still a kid, their image appeared in my visions between those of many others. But I ignored them. They appeared several times. Each time older and more needy of help than before. But I always ignored them. Then they didn’t return. I assumed they had died, like the others did.”

“... But that person didn't.” Kenma wasn’t sure whether the grave serious tone calmed his nerves or flooded him with unease.

“... a few days ago they appeared again. The person’s older now. Stronger. Yet still in need for help.” Kuroo kept silent for a bit and Kenma felt his sharp, observing gaze on himself. He returned it quietly, concentrating on the others magic for focus.

“... There is something else. What is it Kenma? What makes this one different?”

“... I don't know.” Kuroo didn't respond and Kenma knew he was waiting for him to explain. He hesitated. “...I cannot see it. Their fate. The Shadows are a blur, the light is either almost non-existent or too bright. I have no control over it. I can neither stop their movement nor can I focus on the parts I want to know more about.” He paused for a moment, letting this information, this confession of his own inability, sink in. Kuroo didn’t respond.

“It wasn't like this the first few time, way back then. But since then, ever since that person had entered my visions once more, my sight became blurry. Not just the visions concerning _them_ , but everything else as well. That person’s face is the only clear and detailed thing in a mess of blurs. 

“I was never good at controlling them, I know that. But this is different. I cannot even decide on what I want to see. The images just crash over me, fill my sight and leave. I cannot stop them, cannot see what makes them important. They are just … there. And I don’t know what they mean or why it’s happening.” He paused once more, focusing back on Kuroo, who still kept quiet. Kenma assumed he was too shocked by his sudden swell of words to correspond. His throat hurt a bit, but he wasn't finished yet.  
“I do know that it’s somehow connected to the returned one though. Something has happened to them and I don't know what it was or why I didn't see it coming, but this something is slowly destroying the future that I once saw and changes it in a way not even I can do it.”

“...You are giving yourself the fault for this. Because you didn't help them when you could have.” Kenma didn't answer, but it wasn't a question anyway. “What shall I do?” Kenma didn’t allow his relieve to show. It wasn’t over yet. In fact, It hadn’t even really begun. This was just the first step and though his visions were a mess, he could tell that something big and dangerous was coming their way. 

“Find them. Observe them. Find out what’s going on. Then come back as fast as you can.”

“Got it.”

 

 

 

The sun shone hotly on my wings from a cloudless, blue sky. The bright rays coated my deep black wings with glossy rainbow colors as I flew over a sea of sparkling green. Trees of different height and width swayed in the soft breeze to create an illusion of waves. Truly a wondrous sight. It was pretty. Although not as pretty as the real thing.

A light, empty pain burnt in my belly. No wonder. It was already the middle of the day. My last meal was ages ago. It was about time to search for a fine place to land and enjoy a nice meal.

I considered to go down between the swaying trees and land on a random branch to look out for a suitable meal. Another glance down though made me decide differently. The swaying trees reminded me too much of waves, I was never good with water. And wave-like trees were even worse. It was too hard to estimate their movements and go down between them without getting hit at least once. Also, it was hard to keep track of your prey when your sitting spot keeps moving while you’re trapped by all-surrounding green leaves that reflect the sunlight right towards your eyes. In the worst case it would make me so dizzy that I would have to fly down to the ground. Far too dangerous. What if other predators were around? Like a forest cat or an eagle? I really didn't have the time or patience to deal with that. Thankfully I didn't have to search for long.

Just a few more minutes of continuous flying over the eternally stretching green ocean and I caught sight of a deviation within the unchanging sea. A few flaps of my wings later, I was circling over something humans called a “path”. Or was it a “street”? Whatever! That wasn't really of interest to me anyway. The only important thing was that this path split the forest in three parts. This would create lots of open space, more than enough for me to get down without getting hurt, and the crossings would give ample opportunities to find a satisfying meal.

I slowly got down towards the dark green bushes along the edges of one the forest’s paths, while keeping watch of my surroundings in hope to catch sight of something edible. I had no interest in fruits or berries. I wanted something else. Something living.

Just as I settled down on the low-hanging branch of a young tree, hidden from unwanted attention by the forest’s shadows, did my eyes find something that would fulfil my expectations. My claws scratched over the rough surface, clenching and unclenching around the calloused wood, as I quietly brought myself in position, focusing on an open spot between some bushes on the path’s other side. I held my wings up while still keeping them close to my body and lowered my head as I tensed my muscles in preparation for pushing off of the twig, never letting my desired prey out of my sight. Then I shot forward.

For a short moment only blurry lines of whooshing green and brown filled my vision, underlined by the hissing rush of the wind in my ears. Then I was right above it, giving it no time to react and defend itself as I dropped down on it. I used my left talon to pin it to the hard and dark brown ground, keeping it in place as I repeatedly flapped my wings to prevent myself from crashing to the ground and getting hurt as well, before finally settling down comfortably. I pressed down a bit harder on my prey - just to make sure - and my claws dug into the beetle's hard skin, carving small paths into the dry earth, making it flinch and wriggle in pain. I didn't lessen my hold. Instead I admired the golden colour of it’s back and the glossy black of its head and horn. It was pretty. Though not as pretty as I. It was good that I was pinning it to the ground though. If it could have spread it’s wings and fly towards my head that horn might actually be able to hurt my eyes pretty badly. Better not take a bet. My eyes were too pretty to get injured.

I was about to drill my beak into its body, tear it’s pretty, hard skin apart, rip its soft flesh out and enjoy my meal, as some loud noises got my attention. Human voices. I gave a sad glance towards my prey. It didn't seem like I was allowed to eat in peace. Then I looked between the twigs and leaves to watch the two approaching humans. Maybe they would pass me soon and I would be able to eat my meal in peace.

It turned out I was wrong.

 

 

“I’m telling you! That is completely unnecessary and a big waste of time! We should go this way!” Kageyama’s shouted at the smaller boy while pointing his index at the path to their right.

“But Kageyama! Didn’t you say yourself that our water supplies need to be refilled?!” Hinata jumped up to avoid Kageyama looking down on him and instead being the one to look down at Kageyama’s face. His from the sunrays and exhaustion flushed face pulled into a cute little pout as he landed back on his feet, his small fists held up defensively in direct confrontation with Kageyama’s glare. Dirt was smeared across his puffed cheeks, diminishing the flush, but not covering it successfully enough to hide it completely. Streaks of different shades of grey and brown spread not just across his face and neck, but also over his mishandled clothes and his wirr hair. If there has ever been a day where Hinata’s hair had been under control, then it was not today. It didn’t really help in giving him a serious appearance. At all. 

Kageyama knew he probably didn't look much better either though. It was proof of all the past nights they had spend outside, on the ground, without a tent or even sleeping bags. That’s what happens if you miscalculate the landing of your jump and lose most of your belongings in an unfortunate crash into the forest.

“I did! But this way is another water source as well AND it’s in the right direction!” He brought his free hand down on Hinata’s head and pressed down as he turned him in the direction his index was still pointing to.

“How do you know that?! Have you ever been to Karasuno City before?!” Hinata cawed, trying to escape the tight grip on his head by going into his knees and Kageyama followed his movements, refusing to release his hold on the red head.

“No, but Noya said we should use our magic to find the way and mine tells me that there is a big city up ahead!” Bringing up Noya made him realize that his behavior had only led to a silent battle of dominance between them and Kageyama had to remind himself once more that without Noya it was his duty to stay mature. He let go without warning and Hinata yelped as he almost fell over at the sudden loss of counter-weight, stumbling a few steps to regain his balance.

“You don’t even know whether it’s the right one!” Hinata clenched his fists at his sides and returned Kageyama’s glare in stubborn defiance.

“But at last it’s not a complete waste of time to go there as it would be if we went to that goddamn river for the slight, ridiculous small, chance that Noya might have managed to escape and got there in time to meet up with us!” He doubled his fists as well, trying to keep himself from punching some common sense into the other.

“It’s not a small chance! He promised he would follow after us and this river is a direct connection to the place we came from,” Hinata insisted. Anger rose within him at the merest hint of distrust in Noya’s words and his palm’s skin turned white from the strength he poured into them.

“Which makes it even more dangerous for us! Why won’t you understand this?!” Kageyama couldn’t believe how Hinata could still insist on believing in Noya. He would have thought even someone as stupid as Hinata had more common sense than this. Anger and disappointment seethed hotly within him and he felt the burdens of the recent days weighing down heavily on him, the hardly contained emotions right in front of broiling over.

“But, what if-!” Kageyama met Hinata’s gaze, saw the stubborn, desperate hope in them, the fear and sadness of having to lose another dear person and something deep within him resonated with that. He couldn’t accept that.

“NOYA IS DEAD! HE’LL NEVER COME BACK TO US! ACCEPT IT AND GET OVER IT ALREADY!” As soon as the words left his mouth he regretted them. But it was already too late. Hinata’s whole demeanor changed and Kageyama couldn’t help but tense. He frowned stubbornly in preparation for the incoming storm as a cool chill ran down his spine.

“I don’t care whether you are some important member of a Royal Family or not. I don't care whether it was your family that took me in. The one who taught me how to control my magic, the one who taught me everything that I know, the one who made me into who I am today ... _that_ was _Noya-San_. I won’t allow _anyone_ to defile Noya-San. Be it his words, his promise or the real him.” Hinata looked straight into his eyes with an unwavering intensity that made his hair stand on end. There was not the faintest idea of hesitation or doubt, no room for discussion or complaint.

Kageyama couldn’t help but stare back, his gaze bound to Hinata’s by its hypnotizing intensity that made his knees quiver and his hands sweaty. He would never admit it out loud, but when Hinata looked at him like this and became all silent and serious all of a sudden, then it scared the crap out of him. He tried to break the control the smaller one’s terrifying stare had on him by looking away, but he couldn’t find the necessary strength in his quivering body to look away AND keep his pride.

He threw an awfully dark glare at Hinata in an attempt to oppose his utter domination and for a while the two of them kept staring at each other. Glares of absolute darkness were met with unopposable intensity, orange fire burned into ocean blue.

Then one of them broke.

Kageyama groaned defiantly, but eventually allowed himself to give in. He reminded himself once more that with Noya gone at least one of them had to be mature and stay wary. One of them had to weigh their options carefully and decide for what took the fewest risks and the least amount of time. They didn’t have much time and it would cost them far less, if he just were to give in and check the place Hinata wanted to go to than it would when he stayed stubborn as well. His pride was a small sacrifice in face their imminent danger. That didn’t mean he had to like it though.

“Keep watch for any sign of magic around us or moving towards us, especially the ones that come from the mountains.” He ordered while turning towards the path Hinata had chosen, refusing to look into the other's brightening, shiny eyes or his widely opened, proud smile. It annoyed Kageyama deeply to see him so happy about winning an argument with him. He clenched his fists to keep them from lunging towards the smaller one and force the smile out of his face. Instead he concentrated on the magic within him and collected enough that he could send it over a larger-than-usual distance without being forced to stop halfway to collect new ressources. When he was absolutely sure he had collected enough, he finally sent soft breezes of wind along the path of Hinata’s choice and searched for any potential magic sources along the path and around it until he reached the river Hinata wanted to go to. 

He grumpily had to admit that it was indeed closer to them. They could even reach the City he had found without going all the way back to their current location. He braced himself for the upcoming discussion and stopped his magic flow to concentrate back on the small red-head.

“...I cannot feel any magic there.” He glanced carefully at Hinata from his peripheral. As expected. The little ball of sunshine jumped at least 3 feet into the air, punching the air as he shouted out his feelings of success. When he was back on his feet, he beamed at Kageyama.

“See?! I told you it’s safe!” Hinata shut his eyes as he smiled toothily up at Kageyama, who had to resist once more the tickling desire to punch the small boy while he wasn’t looking. It was ridiculous how simple-minded he was. To stop himself from actually giving in to his desire, he turned away from Hinata and walked beneath the green roof in the direction they finally agreed upon. Hinata was right on his heels.

“No magic means no Noya either, dumbass!” His voice missed the intended bite as he made the mistake of turning once more towards his companion and was suddenly faced with the purity that was Hinata’s innocent, with hope brimming, smile.

“Noya-San had been left without magic once before! Not being able to feel him doesn't mean he is dead,” Hinata opposed, his smile not losing any of the hopeful radiance.

“The same goes to our pursuers then,” Kageyama contered.

“Urgh… Kageyama, why can’t you be more optimistic?” Kageyama’s frown was met with a pair of stubbornly narrowed eyes and pursed lips. He saw shadows of old, dried tears under the sheets of dirt on his formerly rosy, now exhaustively reddened cheeks and something heavy stretched around his heart, restricting his throat.

The small boy had been through far too much in the years before he was brought to Kageyama’s place, had lost far too many important people in his still young life already. Kageyama couldn't understand what he went through or felt right now and he wouldn’t fake it either.  
But in this moment he thought he could relate to him.

Both of them had lost their family and their home because of their lack of skill and their inability to protect them. None of them wanted for this to repeat or to lose another special someone. If Kageyama could, then he would use every mean possible to bring his parents, their friends and everyone else back. But he couldn’t. He might be a member of Royalty, but he had no control over time.

Time … Tenses.

If there was someone who could turn back time, then it was definitely one of the Tenses. 

Guilt clenched his heart painfully tight. He was a member of Royalty. A member of one of the great families that were said to be connected to the Tenses. Even if he had never met them personally before, as a member of Royalty he should at least be able to remember their names. He was sure he had heard about them before.

Yet, he couldn’t seem to recall them. 

What kind of Royal was he if he couldn’t even do that during their greatest time of need?

 

 

My gaze followed the two noisy humans until I was sure they had put enough distance between us that their loud voices wouldn’t interrupt me anymore. Apparently they had gotten into some kind of fight. Their shouting and crying had been loud enough to make some of the forest’s residents escape in hurried fear. But not me. I wouldn’t allow anyone or anything, not even something as ridiculous and overrated as fear, to come between me and a good meal. Not to mention that there was still the uncertainty of whether they actually would have kept fighting if I had shown myself. After all, no one could be as stupid as to ignore me when my glossy black feathers shimmered in the emerald green of the forest.

Plumbing up my feathers I focused my black gaze back on the pretty, wriggling beetle trapped under my claw. For a while I allowed myself to enjoy the playful reflections of the forest-filtered green light on the hard golden skin. It was a truly wondrous sight. Too bad this would be gone soon. 

For a moment I entertained a feel of pity for the unfortunate creature that happened to attract my attention today. Then I rammed my beak into golden armor, tearing the skin apart to reach its inner, much softer, delicious flesh.

It wasn’t really enough to sate my hunger completely, but it would be enough for at least a few more hours. After all there was a certain place I intended to visit as soon as possible.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked the foreshadowing Crow-Chan gave you~!
> 
> The layout for the next Chapter is already planned, but I'm getting a bit busy with University as exams are right around the corner, so no promises this time!
> 
> Also, who can guess who's next?


End file.
